EXHIBITION: Will Munro @ AGYU (January 11- March 11, 2012)

jen — Thu, 05 Jan 2012 14:09:05 +0000

Image credit: Will Munro Infinity, 2010, stitched fabric, 34 x 58 inches. Courtesy of the Estate of Will Munro.

It is exciting to see a university institution embrace queer art (& craft!) with reckless abandon and to to provide a truly creative and relevant space for queer and trans youth to come together and make stuff. This programming celebratiing the work and spirit of the late, great, Will Munro looks rad and involves a bevvy of talented makers and creators. Definitely put this [...]

CALL FOR SUBMISSIONS: World of Threads Festival 2012

tara — Tue, 13 Dec 2011 13:49:05 +0000

Sandra Gregson’s Ulysses, 2010. Photo courtesy of the World of Threads website.

Came across this call recently for the next World of Threads Festival– an annual event based out of Oakville that brings together fibre artists from Canada and all over the world. Check out their website for more information, and while you’re at it, give their excellent interview series a gander, which profiles fibre artists from T.O. and abroad.

The World of Threads [...]

EXHIBITION: GRAFT: Linking Art, Textiles and Science at the Textile Museum of Canada (Exhibition: December 3, 2011-January 22, 2012; Reception: December 9, 2011, 5-7pm)

tara — Fri, 09 Dec 2011 17:06:49 +0000

Image: Joanne Jin, silkscreen print on hand painted silk. Image courtesy of the Textile Museum of Canada.

GRAFT is the latest exhibition happening at the Textile Museum of Canada, a collaboration between them and neighbours OCADU. A mash-up of art, textiles and science, this show will showcase the work of students from OCAD’s Material Art and Design program. The reception is tonight!

GRAFT: Linking Art, Textiles and Science
at the Textile Museum of Canada
December 3, 2011-January 22, 2012

EXHIBITION: Crystal Liu, Julie Moon and Rajni Perera at Katzman Kamen Gallery, Toronto (November 26th-December 22, 2011)

tara — Mon, 05 Dec 2011 15:51:38 +0000

Julie Moon, Shazzam II. Image courtesy of Katzman Kamen Gallery.

I feel like its been almost impossible to keep on top of all the amazing exhibitions happening across the city over the past month or so. Here is yet another one– a three person show with crafty ceramicist extraordinaire Julie Moon, along with two drawers I was not previously familiar with, Crystal Liu and Rajni Perera. Hot tip: Julie Moon will be selling her wares at this year’s City [...]

CRAFTY HAPPENING: Miracle Thieves Winter Launch (December 3, 2011; 7pm)

tara — Fri, 02 Dec 2011 16:02:04 +0000

Miracle Thieves is a itty-bitty little shop with a big heart. Since opening last summer on Crawford Street, they have done a lot of really wonderful things on top of being a shop of handmade wares– a quick peruse of their website shows that they have creative workshops for kids and hold hoppin’ community events, exhibitions and benefits. Tomorrow they are having their winter launch, which– on top of being a fun gathering with music and cupcakes– will definitely be a great place to [...]

CALL FOR SUBMISSIONS: ‘fashionSCAPES 2012 at FAT, Toronto (Deadline: December 22, 2011)

tara — Fri, 02 Dec 2011 15:22:39 +0000

FAT has become an institution in the world of Toronto fashion over the past few years. They seem particularly great at mashing up fashion design with other artistic practices in their annual festival’s awsomely diverse programming. Take a look at this call for submissions for their exhibition component this year, which will centre around notions of the body within the landscape…

Call For Submissions
Multi-Arts Festival – |FAT| Arts & Fashion Week ‘fashionSCAPES’ 2012
Produced by Fashion Art Toronto |FAT|

In its seventh year, |FAT| Arts & [...]

CRAFTY HAPPENING: 1st Annual DuWest Art Gallery Crawl (November 26th, 2011; 12pm, 1pm and 2pm)

tara — Fri, 11 Nov 2011 15:52:30 +0000

Claude Grenier, Traffic, 2011. Image courtesy of Meredith Keith Gallery

The Dundas BIA is behind a new gallery crawl series that will focus attention on the galleries of the Dundas West/Brockton Village neighbourhood, which has morphed into a community full of very cool art and design destinations over the past year or two. Crawl stops on the 26th will include Dundas West gallery mainstay Jessica Bradley Art + Projects (which features consistently excellent exhibitions) and Meredith Keith Gallery, which [...]

CRAFTIVISM: Auction to support Buddies in Bad Times (November 10, 2011)

jen — Tue, 08 Nov 2011 14:05:03 +0000

Buddies is one of Toronto’s most beloved queer institutions, and it is not at all surprising that they have managed to pull together a stellar line up of curators and emerging/established artists for this fundraising auction happening this Thursday to support the theatre. Read on for details….

ARTATTACK!
AN AUCTION IN SUPPORT OF BUDDIES IN BAD TIMES THEATRE
Hosted by Gavin Crawford

Visual Art Curators Jon Davies, Michael Chambers, Keith Cole, Srimyoee Mitra, Sophie Hackett, Heather Keung & David Liss
Design Curator [...]

GET SCHOOLED: Power Kids: Make a Book Workshop at The Power Plant (Sunday, October 23, 2011; 3 pm)

tara — Wed, 19 Oct 2011 11:59:22 +0000

I admit to being a little out-to-lunch when it comes to keeping informed about The Power Plant‘s programming. I can’t for the life of me remember where I found out about it, but I came across this neat little bookmaking workshop for kids that will be happening there this weekend. Cheers to The Power Plant for spreading the artists’ book gospel to people of all ages!

POWER KIDS: Make a Book

Taking cues from Derek Sullivan’s interest in books [...]

CALL FOR SUBMISSIONS: Holiday Multiples Fair at O’Born Contemporary (Deadline: November 1, Event: December 10, 2011)

becky — Tue, 11 Oct 2011 13:29:10 +0000

Just saw this call from O’Born Contemporary’s Holiday Multiples Fair via Akimbo and it seemed like a noteworthy thing to post, not just because it is a timely call for a unique holiday sale but also because there seems to be much confusion in the indie craft world surrounding what art multiples are. Art multiples/Artist’s multiples/Multiples are objects or prints, usually released in limited edition and usually signed that are made specifically for commercial purposes. They are designed and [...]

EXHIBITION: Veiled: Andrew McPhail, Grace Ndiritu, Tazeen Qayyum at the Textile Museum of Canada (Exhibition: October 12, 2011 – February 12, 2012)

tara — Wed, 05 Oct 2011 12:36:39 +0000

One of my favourite things about the Textile Museum of Canada is that their curators often integrate the work of contemporary artists with objects from their permanent collection of textiles. It is a relatively rare treat to see them focus an entire show on the textile-based and textile-related work of contemporary artists. Veiled will feature the work of three artists working across media. Looking so forward to seeing this once I’ve returned from my sojourn in the US of A…

Image: [...]

QUESTIONS FOR CRAFTERS CHEONGJU: Aaron Oussoren

tara — Mon, 03 Oct 2011 13:24:23 +0000

Aaron Oussoren, Manhole Cover (Grey). Photo courtesy of the artist.

For our second Cheongju Craft Biennale artist profile, it is my pleasure to introduce you to the work of emerging Toronto-based glass artist, Aaron Oussoren. For more on him and his fantastic work, spend some time poking around his website.

How did you come to be one of the eight Canadians taking part in this year’s Craft Biennale in Cheongju?
I’m fortunate to be an Artist-In-Residence at Harbourfront Centre, and quite a [...]

POSTCARDS FROM THE ROAD: Gallery Hoppin’ in Chelsea and the Lower East Side, NYC

tara — Wed, 28 Sep 2011 21:34:32 +0000

Last Saturday, I went on a fast and frantic tour of a few New York City art galleries on a day trip from Baltimore. 8 hours of driving, 6 hours of hanging out…what was I thinking?! Saw some great stuff though, including a model of the Expo ’67 Pulp and Paper Pavillion in a Chelsea gallery, as well some amazing sculpture by American artist Do Ho Suh. The glowing [...]

GET TOGETHER: Create A Collaborative Fabric Sculpture With Amanda Browder For Nuit Blanche! (Sewing Days: September 27th & 28th, 12-5pm)

tara — Tue, 20 Sep 2011 14:28:08 +0000

Wanna find a way to take part in this year’s Nuit Blanche? Check out this call for fabric and makers to help with Brooklyn-based artist Amanda Browder’s fabric-ky take on the art car. Group sewing days will conveniently take place at The Workroom on the Wednesday and Thursday afternoons before the big (white) night. Find all the details you need below!

Amanda Browder’s Rapunzel courtesy of amandabrowder.com

Be Part of the…Chronomatic Hi-Five!
How to participate in Nuit Blanche? Participate!

Artist Amanda Browder is [...]

CRAFTIVISM: Let City Councillors Know That Torontonians Value the Arts!

tara — Tue, 13 Sep 2011 06:22:09 +0000

Need I say more? If you are a TCA reader, you understand the importance of art and culture to a vibrant and thriving city. Read on to find out more about this initiative, put forward by Friends of the Arts, an alliance of Toronto-based arts groups. Most importantly, sign the petition and have your say!

Photo courtesy of Jumblies Theatre

Send a Message to Protect the Arts!
Please take 30 seconds to add your name to the Friends of the Arts [...]

EXHIBITION: Fabricate at Meredith Keith Gallery & Freedom Clothing Collective (September 8 – October 1, 2011; reception Sept. 16)

jen — Thu, 08 Sep 2011 17:10:00 +0000

So many good-looking exhibitions coming up in Toronto, and this one is no exception! Curator Marsya Maharani told me that she was inspired by a panel discussion held at OCADU this past March as part of the Ontario Council’s CraftTalks series, where the blurry lines between craft, art, and design were discussed and celebrated. I am very much looking forward to seeing how the artists and designers in this show tackle this theme.

Fabricate is an exhibition that contextualizes art and design as mediums that are not [...]

POSTCARDS FROM THE ROAD: Crafty Visionary Art in Baltimore, Maryland

tara — Tue, 30 Aug 2011 14:52:08 +0000

Between the earthquake and the hurricane (!), I was able to take in some amazing eye candy at the American Visionary Art Museum in Baltimore. Lots of wonderful things on the material arts-side of the spectrum, like this eye popping beaded Alfred E. Neuman headboard by Patty Kuzbida and the cheery Smile Dress by Danielle Jacqui below. Looking forward to checking out the massive textile collection at the BMA next, followed by a tasty bag of pretzels. They’re better here!

Erika DeFreitas, Detail from A Teleplasmic Study with Doilies, 2010-11, Digital print

Greetings from Baltimore, TCA readers! Funny that my first post away from my home in the heart of Downtown Toronto (I’m studying abroad for 4 months in the USA) should be about an exhibition in Hamilton. Check out the following listing for This Woman’s Work…, an exhibition which revolves around craft and textiles. FYI: The accompanying image is by multidisciplinary artist Erika DeFreitas, an artist whose compelling work with [...]

CALL FOR SUBMISSIONS: Show Off @ The Junction (deadline: August 26; event: October 18-30, 2011)

jen — Fri, 12 Aug 2011 13:20:04 +0000

Window Display Artist was one of my top childhood dream jobs (along with Florist and Copywriter), so I got pretty excited when Angelune pointed out this call for submissions from Mason Interior Design for designers & artists to create installations for window displays in Junction storefronts. This design event will take place from October 18-30, 2011. The call closes August 26, so if this piques your imagination, head over here for more information and to download an application for registration.

If you have [...]

CRAFT SHOW: Bloorcourt Arts and Crafts Streetfair Market (August 13, 2011)

jen — Tue, 09 Aug 2011 23:13:15 +0000

Yes, yes, I’ve been blogging about little else lately in the form of vendor profiles, but sometimes it’s easy to miss the forest through the trees! So just a quick ‘mark your calendars’ type note that this very Saturday, the Bloorcourt Arts and Crafts Street Fair is coming up, and the market action is NOT TO BE MISSED.

We’ve got several dozen artists and makers offering up prints, ceramics, paper goods, textiles for the home and bod, accessories and jewellery galore, and even [...]

EXHIBITION: Julie Moon: Pretty, Strange at Narwhal Art Projects (August 11-September 4, 2011; Reception: August 11, 7-10 pm)

tara — Sun, 07 Aug 2011 03:12:22 +0000

Julie Moon is definitely one of Toronto’s most loved ceramicists. Some great news– Julie is back home from doing a Masters in New York State with her beautiful and bizarre ceramic confections in tow. Pretty, Strange will include selections of work from the past few years. Needless to say, this is a show not to be missed!

Pretty, Strange
A Solo Exhibition with Julie Moon

Opening reception:  Thursday, August 11th
7-10pm
Artist will be in attendance.

Runs [...]

CALL FOR SUBMISSION: Help Robyn Love Make Knitted Squares for the Cheongju Avenue of Trees! (Deadline: September 3, 2011)

tara — Tue, 26 Jul 2011 05:53:26 +0000

Photo courtesy of Robyn’s blog; http://myfairisle.blogspot.com

This just in from NFLD/NYC fibre artist extraordinnaire Robyn Love…a call for submissions of knitted or crocheted squares to put towards a massive piece of public art for the 2011 Cheongju International Craft Biennale! Robyn’s work is well known and loved for her understated and often profound takes on public art. The following text was scooped up from a recent post on her blog, My Fair Isle. Read on for [...]

EXHIBITION: Love Lace at the Powerhouse Museum, Sydney, Australia (July 30, 2011-April 2012)

tara — Tue, 19 Jul 2011 10:29:10 +0000

Interlaced, by Anna Lindsay MacDonald; Photo by Marinco Kojdanovski of the Powerhouse Museum

A couple nights ago my pal Lizz reminded me of an incredible exhibition she’ll be taking part in in Australia in a few weeks. After checking out the exhibition’s website, I couldn’t resist posting about it here. Love Lace is a major exhibition of contemporary lacemaking practices hosted by the Powerhouse Museum in Sydney, Australia. For those of you who don’t know, the Powerhouse is [...]

CRAFTY HAPPENING: Miracle Thieves Grand Opening (July 28, 2011; All Day!)

tara — Thu, 14 Jul 2011 03:12:43 +0000

Just got a heads up on this great-looking space opening at the end of the month a mere block away from me (what luck!), right across from Trinity Bellwoods Park. Miracle Thieves will be a craft and design retail space as well as a workshop and community art space. See below for all the deets about their upcoming day-long opening celebration.

Miracle Thieves is a new and exciting multi-purpose creative space. Aside from a curated retail component which exclusively houses [...]

CRAFTY HAPPENING: Toronto Outdoor Art Exhibition 50th Anniversary Show (July 8-10, 2011)

jen — Thu, 30 Jun 2011 11:49:23 +0000

A heads up that your favourite (or at least my favourite!) outdoor art show is coming up next weekend! Due to ongoing construction on Nathan Phillips Square, TOAE will be a bit smaller this year, but while it is so hard to turn away many worthy artists, this makes for an extremely tight (as in outta site) show that is most pleasurable to navigate in the summer sun!

This is the 50th anniversary of the show, so not only will there be original art, craft & craft-art by several [...]

HELP WANTED: Volunteer at the 2011 Toronto Outdoor Art Exhibition (show: July 9-11,2011; volunteer deadline: June 30, 2011)

jen — Thu, 23 Jun 2011 13:10:08 +0000

Just a quick note to let you know that TOAE is inviting people to be part of their 50th outdoor art show by volunteering before and during the weekend of the show on Nathan Phillips Square.

Some of the ways you can be involved include:

Assist in the set-up and strike of exhibition
Assist in the chalking of square
Assistance in assembly of artist registration packages
Street team flyer distribution
Information Booth
Merchandise Booth
Artist Registration
Conducting marketing surveys on square
General artist support
Distribution of program guide

EXHIBITION: The Parallel Library at 1080 Queen Street West (June 23-July 3; Reception: June 23rd, 6-9pm)

tara — Wed, 15 Jun 2011 15:10:27 +0000

I have long been a fan of the Monkey’s Paw and its collection of eclectic, obscure and sometimes downright bizarre printed matter. After all, in what other book store would you find a biography of “Honest” Ed Mirvish next to a lushly-illustrated book on Hawaiian coconut shell crafts from the 1950s? I recently spotted the following listing for a staff-curated exhibition of some of MP’s more notable titles, due to happen later on this month. [...]

EXHIBITION: The Parallel Library at 1080 Queen Street West (June 23-July 3; Reception: June 23rd, 6-9pm)

Toronto Craft Alert » Art

EXHIBITION: Select Works: Contemporary Canadian Textile-Based Collection at Cambridge Galleries Riverside (January 24 – February 19, 2012; Reception: January 24th, 6:30pm)

CALL FOR SUBMISSIONS: Eyelevel Reshelving Initiative 5 at Eyelevel Gallery, Halifax (Deadline: January 30th, 2012)

EXHIBITION: Arthur Desmarteaux & Allison Moore: Micropolis 2.0 at Open Studio (January 12 – February 18, 2012; Reception January 12, 6:30-8:30 pm)

EXHIBITION: Will Munro @ AGYU (January 11- March 11, 2012)

CALL FOR SUBMISSIONS: World of Threads Festival 2012

EXHIBITION: GRAFT: Linking Art, Textiles and Science at the Textile Museum of Canada (Exhibition: December 3, 2011-January 22, 2012; Reception: December 9, 2011, 5-7pm)

EXHIBITION: Crystal Liu, Julie Moon and Rajni Perera at Katzman Kamen Gallery, Toronto (November 26th-December 22, 2011)

CRAFTY HAPPENING: Miracle Thieves Winter Launch (December 3, 2011; 7pm)

CALL FOR SUBMISSIONS: ‘fashionSCAPES 2012 at FAT, Toronto (Deadline: December 22, 2011)

CRAFTY HAPPENING: 1st Annual DuWest Art Gallery Crawl (November 26th, 2011; 12pm, 1pm and 2pm)

CRAFTIVISM: Auction to support Buddies in Bad Times (November 10, 2011)

GET SCHOOLED: Power Kids: Make a Book Workshop at The Power Plant (Sunday, October 23, 2011; 3 pm)

CALL FOR SUBMISSIONS: Holiday Multiples Fair at O’Born Contemporary (Deadline: November 1, Event: December 10, 2011)

EXHIBITION: Veiled: Andrew McPhail, Grace Ndiritu, Tazeen Qayyum at the Textile Museum of Canada (Exhibition: October 12, 2011 – February 12, 2012)

QUESTIONS FOR CRAFTERS CHEONGJU: Aaron Oussoren

POSTCARDS FROM THE ROAD: Gallery Hoppin’ in Chelsea and the Lower East Side, NYC

GET TOGETHER: Create A Collaborative Fabric Sculpture With Amanda Browder For Nuit Blanche! (Sewing Days: September 27th & 28th, 12-5pm)

CRAFTIVISM: Let City Councillors Know That Torontonians Value the Arts!

EXHIBITION: Fabricate at Meredith Keith Gallery & Freedom Clothing Collective (September 8 – October 1, 2011; reception Sept. 16)

POSTCARDS FROM THE ROAD: Crafty Visionary Art in Baltimore, Maryland

CALL FOR SUBMISSIONS: Show Off @ The Junction (deadline: August 26; event: October 18-30, 2011)

CRAFT SHOW: Bloorcourt Arts and Crafts Streetfair Market (August 13, 2011)

EXHIBITION: Julie Moon: Pretty, Strange at Narwhal Art Projects (August 11-September 4, 2011; Reception: August 11, 7-10 pm)

CALL FOR SUBMISSION: Help Robyn Love Make Knitted Squares for the Cheongju Avenue of Trees! (Deadline: September 3, 2011)

EXHIBITION: Love Lace at the Powerhouse Museum, Sydney, Australia (July 30, 2011-April 2012)

CRAFTY HAPPENING: Miracle Thieves Grand Opening (July 28, 2011; All Day!)

CRAFTY HAPPENING: Toronto Outdoor Art Exhibition 50th Anniversary Show (July 8-10, 2011)

HELP WANTED: Volunteer at the 2011 Toronto Outdoor Art Exhibition (show: July 9-11,2011; volunteer deadline: June 30, 2011)